The Long Beach State women’s golf team made a big run in the final round to finish the Anteater Invitational in fifth place, after winning the UC Irvine-hosted tournament last season.
After two disappointing rounds, the 49ers came alive in the third, shooting the second-best round of the day at 297. The 49ers recorded a first-round score of 310 and second round total of 308 for a 63-over par three-round score at the Dove Canyon Country Club.
“We played very well,” LBSU women’s head coach Joey Cerulle said. “We set a goal for 300 and we shot 297, so that’s a great accomplishment.”
Host school UCI finished one stroke ahead of The Beach. San Diego State won the tournament with a combined team score of 47-over par.
Individually, the 49ers were led by Monica Villarreal, who carded a tournament score of 12-over par to finish ninth after firing an even-par 71 third round. She posted scores of 78 and 76 in the first two rounds, respectively and sank three birdies for the three rounds.
Simone Hoey tied for 12th and finished one stroke behind Villarreal, recording a three-round score of 13-over after a four-over par 75 final round. She posted rounds of 77 and 74 in the first two rounds and drained nine birdies and an eagle during the tournament.
Noelle Zavaleta placed 31st with a 22-over par tournament score after shooting a two-over par final round. She shot rounds of 82 and 80 coming into the final day and had seven birdies. Beach teammates Brenda Chhuor and Lindsey McAtee tied for 32nd at 23-over par, one stroke behind Zavaleta.
“Today, we were due to make putts,” Cerulle said. “First two rounds, we didn’t make anything, but today they were dropping.”
The individual overall winner was Kayla Mortellaro from the University of Idaho, who finished at one-over par after firing a three-under final round. Hillary Packard from UC Irvine finished at four-over.
The 49ers’ season winds down to the Big West Championships on April 18 in San Luis Obispo. A win would award LBSU a bid to the NCAA regionals.
Cerulle said “We caught UCI and UC Davis, who is 24th in the nation, so mentally I think we are ready for the Big West Championship.”
49er men fail to adapt to windy conditions in South Carolina
The 49ers struggled to a 14th-place finish at the Hootie at Bulls Bay in South Carolina after battling through windy conditions at the 15-team tournament.
Bulls Bay’s links style course, a type of course commonly seen in Europe, provided a different challenge for the 49ers and the 12 top-50 teams that made up the competition field.
The 49ers shot a 51-over par tournament score after carding a 299 final round and never recovered from their poor first round showing of 307.
“Bulls Bay is a links style course with swirling fierce winds everyday that really make it a different course every single round,” LBSU assistant coach Zach Vinal said.
No. 28-ranked Louisiana State University narrowly captured the team title with a one-stroke victory over No. 34 Wake Forest. The Tigers shot seven-under par for the tournament after posting rounds of 288, 278 and 279.
Individually, the 49ers’ top player was Kevin Roy, who tied for 55th with an 11-over par tournament score. Roy shot back-to-back rounds of one-over par 72 after carding a nine-over 80 first round. He recorded eight birdies in the tournament.
Robbie Berton finished two strokes behind to tie for 60th place. Berton carded rounds of 75, 76 and 75, completing his tournament with eight birdies and an eagle. Steve Gibson finished with a 16-over par to tie for 65th after rounds of 77, 74 and 78.
Raymond Ho finished tied for 75th at 18-over after shooting 75, 75 and 81. Benjamin Lein placed 71st with a 19-over par mark. He fired a 74 on the final day after posting scores of 82 and 76 through the first two rounds.
“I thought this was a great opportunity for some guys to play in different conditions and play a course that was totally different than what we are used to,” Vinal said.
Matt Hill from North Carolina State was the individual champion after shooting a nine-under par with rounds of 68,67 and 69. He was closely followed by Lee Bedford and Brendan Gielow of Wake Forest.
The 49ers next look to the U.S. Intercollegiate in Palo Alto, Calif. on April 11 for a shot at redemption before the Big West Championships on May 3.
Vinal said, “We would like to have played a lot better, but this was a valuable experience for all the guys. Playing another great field and course really benefits these guys as we prepare for the Big West tournament.”